Perdue Joins Ethically-Challenged Cabinet

Chris Saeger, Executive Director of the Western Values Project, release the following statement in response to news that Sonny Perdue has been confirmed as the Secretary of Agriculture:

“Sonny Perdue will be right at home in a cabinet full of ethically-challenged lackeys for special interests. His ethical failures as Governor are a clear sign that he will manage public lands to benefit the special interests that brought the Trump administration to power at the expense of our outdoor heritage and economy. Along with millions of other Westerners who value public lands, we will hold him accountable if he puts special interests ahead of our best interests.”

Land Deals:

Perdue, in 2003, bought land that was adjacent to Oaky Woods, a “huge tract of forest.”In 2004, when the state of Georgia had an opportunity to buy 20,000 acres of the Oaky Woods forest from Weyerhaeuser Corporation, “Perdue refused to sign the agreement, saying the state couldn’t afford it.” As a result, Oaky Woods was ultimately sold to developers for “$1,600 an acre,” which made the value of Perdue’s property “more than” double. The month before Perdue left office, “the State Properties Commission, of which Perdue was chairman, “voted to buy slightly more than 10,000 acres of Oaky Woods” for about “$29 million, or $2,874 per acre.”

Sonny Perdue, in 2003, bought land in Houston County, Georgia. The land was adjacent to Oaky Woods, a “20,000-acre wildlife preserve.” To buy the land, Larry O’Neal, Sonny Perdue’s lawyer, “set up two limited liability companies. One [was] called Mayson – an apparent merging of the first names of Sonny Perdue and his wife, Mary.” Sonny Perdue “negotiated on behalf of Maryson to buy land adjacent to Oaky Woods but that he had no financial interest in [Oaky Woods].” [“Perdue Ethics Charges Linger,” Augusta Chronicle, 12/27/06, James Salazar, “Diverted funds aid Sonny Perdue projects” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 01/13/17 and Georgina Gustin, “Sonny Perdue, Trump’s Agriculture Pick, Could Roll Back Forest Protections,” Inside Climate News, 02/07/17]

In 2004, the State of Georgia “had a chance to buy the 20,000-acre wildlife preserve from timber giant Weyerhaeuser Corp. for about $30 million.” The Nature Conservancy “offered to buy a huge tract of forest once owned by timber giant Weyerhaeuser, if the state agreed to compensate the group for the purchase later.” However, Sonny Perdue “refused to sign the agreement, saying the state couldn’t afford it.” [James Salazar, “Diverted funds aid Sonny Perdue projects” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 01/13/17 and Georgina Gustin, “Sonny Perdue, Trump’s Agriculture Pick, Could Roll Back Forest Protections,” Inside Climate News, 02/07/17]

In 2010, in “the month before Perdue left office,” the State Properties Commission “voted to buy slightly more than 10,000 acres of Oaky Woods” for about “$29 million, or $2,874 per acre. The state paid about the same for half the property as the developers did for the entire woods six years earlier, despite the downturn in land values across the nation.” Even though Perdue’s spokesman said that “Perdue went out of his way to avoid being directly involved in the negotiations for Oaky Woods,” Perdue “served as chairman of the State Properties Commission, which ultimately voted to buy Oaky Woods.” [James Salazar, “Diverted funds aid Sonny Perdue projects,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 01/13/17]

Ethics Complaints:

In April 2002, the Georgia Ethics Commission forced Sonny Perdue to return $30,000 in illegal contributions to his gubernatorial campaign. Purdue had illegally “transferred $10,000 from his state Senate campaign fund into his gubernatorial campaign fund.” He also received donations “of $10,000 each” from two companies for which he was the Chief Financial Officer. These donations violated the state law that “only one donation can be made by companies that share ‘common ownership or control.'”

In his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Sonny Perdue illegally “transferred $10,000 from his state Senate campaign fund into his gubernatorial campaign fund.” He ultimately had to return the funds. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorialized that Perdue’s “missteps… [were] even more disappointing, because as a member of the Senate Ethics Committee, he championed efforts to strengthen Georgia ethics laws.” [Editorial, “No Excuse for Breaking Ethics Laws,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02/22/02]

After making his illegal campaign contribution from his state senate campaign to his gubernatorial campaign, Sonny Perdue said he didn’t think he had “done anything wrong.” [John McCosh, “Candidate Defends his Funds Transfer,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02/22/02]

In the same 2002 campaign, Sonny Perdue received donations “of $10,000 each from Perdue Inc. and Houston Fertilizer & Grain Co.” According to data from the Georgia Secretary of State’s website, “Perdue [was] Chief Financial Officer of both companies” at the time and was also “sole stockholder of Perdue Inc.” Because Perdue was CFO of both companies, these donations were a “violation of a law that says only one donation can be made by companies that share ‘common ownership or control.'” [John McCosh, “Perdue backtracks on funds transfer,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02/20/02 and Editorial, “No Excuse for Breaking Ethics Laws,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02/22/02]

However, Sonny Perdue defended the “$10,000 donations from Perdue Inc. and Houston Fertilizer and Grain Co.” Perdue’s campaign’s communications director, Dan McLagan, said that “although Perdue is an officer in Perdue Inc., he does not direct the company and does not own stock in it.” McLagan said that Perdue’s wife was “‘the sole stockholder in Perdue Inc.'” [John McCosh, “Perdue backtracks on funds transfer,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02/20/02, and Editorial, “OUR OPINIONS: No excuse for breaking ethics laws,” Atlanta-Journal Constitution, 02/22/02]

In April 2002, the Georgia Ethics Commission “ordered former state Sen. Sonny Perdue to return $30,000 in improper contributions to his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.” The Commission did not fine Perdue because of the “‘transparent nature’ of the contributions and Perdue’s quick and voluntary response to the violation.” [“Ethics Panel Fines Perdue, Hears Other Charges,” Associated Press, 04/20/02]

Sonny Perdue, in 2005, was the first Georgia Governor to be fined by the Georgia State Ethics Commission. After an investigation, the commission fined Perdue “$1,900 for campaign disclosure law violations and ordered him to repay more than $18,000 in campaign contributions, most of that to his wife, Mary, for using her company’s [Perdue Inc.’s] airplane.”

In 2004, the Chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party filed a complaint against Sonny Perdue, alleging that, as a gubernatorial candidate, he had “violated campaign finance limits by using his company plane for campaign-related flights when the company, Perdue Inc., had reached its contribution limit.” The Georgia State Ethics Commission launched an investigation. [Ben Smith, “Legislature / State politics: Top Democrat hits Perdue on ethics,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 01/30/04 and Dick Pettys, “Perdue fined, ordered to repay $18,000 for campaign violations,” Associated Press, 06/17/05]

In June 2005, after its investigation into Sonny Perdue, the Georgia State Ethics Commission “fined Gov. Sonny Perdue $1,900 for campaign disclosure law violations and ordered him to repay more than $18,000 in campaign contributions, most of that to his wife for using her company’s [Perdue Inc.’s] airplane.” The Commission ruled that Perdue’s flights on a corporate airplane belonging to “a company owned by First Lady Mary Perdue” constituted an in-kind contribution of $12,155 for the 187 hours Perdue used the plane.” The company, “Perdue Inc., had already given Perdue’s campaign the maximum donation allowed by state contribution laws, making the use of the plane an excessive contribution. Perdue was fined $1,000 and ordered to repay Perdue Inc. the $12,155.” [Dick Pettys, “Perdue fined, ordered to repay $18,000 for campaign violations,” Associated Press, 06/17/05, and Brandon Larrabee, “Perdue Will Pay Fines in Ethics Deal,” Athens Banner-Herald, 06/18/05]

Additionally, Sonny Perdue was ordered to pay $900 “for a series of reporting errors on the campaign disclosures” and to “return $6,000 worth of contributions from the snare.” [Brandon Larrabee, “Perdue Will Pay Fines in Ethics Deal,” Athens Banner-Herald, 6/18/05]

Sonny Perdue was defensive about his ethics violations, saying the investigations into the violations were “politically motivated” and that he had only committed “technical” violations. Shortly after the investigations, the executive secretary of the Georgia State Ethics Commission was fired from his job. He has blamed Perdue for his being fired.

Coincidentally, in 2006, shortly after the investigations took place, “Teddy Lee, the executive secretary of the State Ethics Commission, was fired from his job.” Lee has “blamed Mr. Perdue for his firing.”[Eric Lipton And Steve Eder, “Ethics Questions Dogged Agriculture Nominee as Georgia Governor,” New York Times, 03/08/17]